So, it appears pylon racers are slightly nutty... It also appears that I fit right in! It's raining and I'm watching the only patch of blue sky disappear into the distance. It's 8:30 am. I'm at the flying field, early as usual. Sitting in my truck, eating a PB&J, wondering if anyone else is going to show up? Nutty, yes?
It's the last race of my first season of pylon racing with the Wine Country Flyers club. I'm leading the T28 class, one point ahead of Anthony McDonald and we're only a few points ahead of the rest of the pack. Part of me hopes the last race will get canceled and the season will be finished.... But the nutty racer in me wants this last race to happen, so we can finish the season without any doubts.
In the Reno 450 class, I'm in 4th place without a mathematical chance for improving. I'm ok with this fact, considering I started racing this class late in the season, missing a few early races....
I had no idea how much fun and challenging pylon race is. Coming from an r/c car racing background, I'm no stranger to the thrill of close competition and the dedication it takes to field a competitive entry throughout a season. I was surprised at the multi-dimensional aspects of racing r/c airplanes, how much skill it take, and how down right much fun it is!
(Flash forward to the end of the day ....) As it turns out, the final race of the season was very interesting (more so than normal). The weather played a big factor throughout the day. It rained early on and although it threatened all day, it held off for the actual racing. But, the wind was another story! It seemed to change direction on a whim. Going from dead calm, to gusting, to slightly breezy, repeating this all day. When the wind changed direction, the trees, grapes, landing strip, etc .. all made for bumpy air. Planes were tossed around and holding any kind of a racing line was a huge challenge.
The Pilots all stepped up their game to overcome the conditions. Some played it smart and parked their planes. Some flew high and just rode out the storm. Some got in the mix and whooped it up some. At one point, Steve Cole popped a rudder on his Reno 450 entry, and the plane went into a wicked yaw ... He promptly rolled it up on it's side, into a knife edge, circled the field and landed the plane without too much damage. All while the race was going full tilt!
For myself, I came into this race leading the T-28 / Corsair class by one point. Anthony McDonald brought his A game and apparently I left mine at home ... I cut out in my first heat race! This equaled 0 points for that heat. And, after a great first season, this lost me the series! Anthony flew fantastic all day, had excellent Team tactics, and came away with the series championship. Well done Tony!!
I'm sure the rest of the pack got stirred up some during this last race. I can't wait to find out how everyone finished their season! The T-28 / Corsair class is just a ton of fun. The airframes are perfect for the beginner racer and the competition comes down to pilot skill. I thoroughly enjoy the close racing in this class!
In the Reno 450 class, I opted to ride out the storm flying high and wide. The lightweight airframes were getting blown all around in the early heats. As it turned out, I finished up very well for the most part, as quite a few pilots cut out of each race. There's a lot to be said for playing it safe! But, in the 3rd heat, I got in the mix and had some fun racing. I remember racing super close with Jon Stychno, for many laps. And, I forced Steve Cole to pass me on the low side, about 3 feet off the deck coming down the runway towards P1. It was a ton of fun!
Well, as my first season of Pylon Racing comes to a close, I'm very happy with a 2nd place overall in T-28 / Corsair and a 4th place overall in Reno 450. I really would have liked the win in T-28 (and it was a long ride home stewing over my results) but as with the rest of the season I learned a lot and this race was no exception. My own mistakes cost me and that's the way it is. This will give me something to think about during the off season as I look forward to next year!
Thanks again to all the WCF guys for their help and encouragement during my first season. Without help from people like Rob Jensen, Steve Cole, Jon Stychno, Tony McDonald, Adam Clemente, and all the rest, I would not have had such a great time! The whole crew that supports the WCF races are awesome! It's a great group of guys and that's a huge part of why the racing is so much fun!
Keep an eye on www.wcflyers.com for the official results to the 2011 Pylon Racing Season!
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